RismadarVoice Reporters
May 28, 2026
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, has placed Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory, Kano, Rivers and six other states on high Ebola preparedness alert following concerns over the possible importation of the deadly Bundibugyo Ebola Virus Disease into the country.
In a public health advisory issued on Thursday to Commissioners for Health across the 36 states and the FCT, the agency warned that Nigeria faces a “high risk of importation” due to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) had earlier declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, prompting the NCDC to intensify nationwide preparedness efforts.
Although no confirmed Ebola case has been reported in Nigeria, the NCDC said a joint risk assessment conducted with partners identified increasing regional transmission, international travel, porous land borders and trade routes as major threats.
According to the agency, 1,077 suspected cases and 247 deaths have already been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, with a fatality rate of about 24.6 per cent.
“The overall risk of importation of the disease into Nigeria has been assessed as HIGH,” the NCDC stated.
The agency identified Lagos, FCT, Rivers, Kano, Enugu, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Taraba and Adamawa as the country’s highest-risk states because of their international airports, seaports, busy trade corridors and border activities.
It directed all states to immediately strengthen surveillance systems, isolation centres, laboratory readiness, infection prevention and healthcare worker protection mechanisms.
According to the NCDC, there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, making early detection and rapid response critical.
The agency also warned health workers not to wait for symptoms such as bleeding before suspecting Ebola in patients presenting with fever and other related symptoms.
“Health workers must maintain a high index of suspicion,” the advisory said.
Symptoms of Ebola include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, rash, hiccups and unexplained bleeding.
The NCDC clarified that Ebola is not airborne but spreads through direct contact with infected blood, body fluids, contaminated materials or infected animals.
It further disclosed that the National Emergency Operations Centre has already been activated in alert mode to coordinate preparedness activities nationwide.
The agency assured Nigerians that it is working closely with state governments and international partners to prevent any possible outbreak in the country.
